Client never paid for cake...

ALet's get straight to the issue. :smile: I made a wedding and groom's cake for a client almost two months ago and she hasn't paid. She actually sent two checks with my business name after I had already told her I needed the checks in my own name.mso she said she would resend new checks. They never came. About three weeks ago she texted that she had forgotten and they would be in the mail the next day. 3 weeks later to today I have called, emailed, and texted. She has not responded about where the payment is. I have been doing cakes for eight years and never had this problem. I have also known her my entire life through church. I have learned my lesson and have now begun a rule of not doing a cake until full payment has been recieved. my question is, what else do I do. Do I just consider it a loss, keep trying?..

Have you tried to cash the checks with your business name on them? I don't have a checking account with my official business name on it, but I have deposited checks made out to my business in the past. If you are declaring taxes, it might not be possible, but my business is very, very small (basically expanded hobby) so I was able to deposit the check. Give it a try.

If you are at church with her, it might make it easier to just call it a loss. Or, you could send a collector after her.

If you do not bank at the same bank, her bank may cash it. If she is close-show up on her doorstep and exchange the check for a good one. This is a hard lesson, one you will remember forever and it is a good reminder to the rest of us that money between friends is still a business transaction.

Yes, learn a lesson here about taking deposits... In the meantime, banks are not legally allowed to accept a check with a business name if there is no business account in that name. I suggest you open a business account. You'll need a DBA with the exact name as your customer has made out the checks to. Then deposit them into your account. If the checks are returned for insufficient funds (or closed account, etc) you can take the bad checks to the DA's office (or whichever department in your municipality handles bad checks). In some states, you can get up to 7 times the face value of the check. Good luck.

I have deposited checks into my personal by ATM and photo deposit that had my unofficial DBA name on it and i've not had a problem. If i had dozens of them i'm sure i would hear from the bank, but as it is only one or two it hasn't come back to me. try and deposit them in your ATM and see what happens.

I have deposited checks into my personal by ATM and photo deposit that had my unofficial DBA name on it and i've not had a problem. If i had dozens of them i'm sure i would hear from the bank, but as it is only one or two it hasn't come back to me. try and deposit them in your ATM and see what happens.

I would not recommend doing this, the bank may consider it a third party check and can potentially reverse the deposit or even close your account. If you do it once you could probably pass it off as a mistake, but more than once and you are putting yourself at risk.

Hello I had this happen to me when I first started doing cakes for money. I was lucky enough to

make enough that I did claim them on my taxes, but I never officially had a business checking

account as that would have been an expense and I didn't want think I made enough to justify it.

I took a check someone had made out to me not in my name but in my "business name".

The clerk said the bank would accept it if she had also just put my name after the business name...

ex.> The Cake Cottage/Martha Jones. So I left and wrote that in myself with the same color ink,

returned the next day to a teller instead of the ATM and another teller looked at it and never

questioned the deposit. I've had a few customers forget occasionally and when that happened, I just

entered my name as I had before and I've never had a problem. My bank is Chase. I deposit all

my cake checks through the ATM, just so I don't have any problems anymore. I also am sure to

hit the key that says "do you want a picture of the check" ....yes and that copy is proof that I

was owed that money. I also made a copy of the check prior to adding my name to it, just in case!

One customer I had who failed to get her check to me before delivery kept putting me off w/excuses.

I finally got sick of it, and contacted her husband, who was unaware and he apologized and sent me

a check immediately, as he was embarrassed. I'd approach her at church in front of others and

(loud enough to get their attention) ask her in a friendly manner...."how did you & your husband like the wedding cake I made for you?" She'd have to respond somehow. Then, I'd say, how nice that you

are here and can make out a check for that today, as that will save you mailing it to me later. If you forgot your check book, I'd be happy to follow you home to save you the trouble of doing it later. You

did say you'd do it last week, but I guess it slipped your mind. I have the day free, so it is no trouble

to follow you so you can forget about it later.".....or something to that affect! Be sure others are

nearby as they may have been at their wedding. Her husband may not know she's been avoiding you.

If you took a picture of the cake, take the photo to church with you and casually show those nearby

to draw them into the conversation (witnesses). However, if you still have the check she had given

you first, I'd add my name to it (trying to make it look like her handwriting in the same color ink) and

I'd deposit it in the ATM....but your name has to be on it too. Good Luck.

you first, I'd add my name to it (trying to make it look like her handwriting in the same color ink) and

I'd deposit it in the ATM....but your name has to be on it too. Good Luck.

this is illegal, you are

1. changing her check = fraud

2 copying her handwriting = counterfeiting

Also embarrassing people at their work/church is so unprofessional. By all means follow up, maybe a visit to her house will work, but the best solution to your problem is not to take any order without a hefty deposit, and in cases where you go and drop the cake off without seeing the client in person, request them to pay the balance before the delivery.

AI'm glad I'm not the only one who found Ann's advice to be reprehensible. Besides the check fraud, taking her advice is likely to result in a trashed reputation for your business and maybe even a restraining order.

ANot wanting to pile more on ann3567, but the part I found the most amusing about that advice was the part about if she's a good Christian she'll listen to you. My father went to seminary when I was in high school, and believe me, having been around clergy and "good Christians" and seeing how the sausage is made, I can guarantee you that showing up at church and calling yourself a Christian does not guarantee ethical behavior. Some of the crookedest people I've ever met were wearing a collar or calling themselves "pastor."

Just show up at her house and ask for your payment, then go straight to her bank and cash the check. If it bounces turn it over to a collection agency.

Just show up at her house and ask for your payment, then go straight to her bank and cash the check. If it bounces turn it over to a collection agency.

To add, I have found that if you go to the client's bank and the check is no good, you can always take it back another time and try to re-cash. I have even had tellers that would tell what day the client normally deposited money. And even though I it has never reached this point for me, I understand that you can take a bad check to your local courthouse and have a warrant issued for their arrest. I did "threaten" a client with this action once, and she she ponied up the money immediately!

Could you explain what you mean here? Are you saying you don't declare your business income on your taxes, and this means the bank will let you deposit checks made to a random business name?

Well, apparently so, as I deposited a check in my business name a few months ago at our nation's largest bank. I don't do this regularly, it was a one-time event. As for declaring business income on taxes, in MA, I don't surpass the threshold on hobby income. I should have declared it as a business when I bought my equipment years ago...I would have gotten a bit of a break.

Well, apparently so, as I deposited a check in my business name a few months ago at our nation's largest bank.

The fact that they didn't catch you doesn't mean that you're allowed to do it.

As for declaring business income on taxes, in MA, I don't surpass the threshold on hobby income. I should have declared it as a business when I bought my equipment years ago...I would have gotten a bit of a break.

I don't know about MA, but the IRS does not have a threshold below which you don't have to report income (hobby, business, or otherwise). I strongly recommend talking to an accountant about this since you may be evading federal taxes.

sheeshhh...you guys are no fun. I kinda like the idea of an angry, righteous cake mob tracking her and her family down like bounty hunters demanding payment. Oh wait...this isn't Real Cakewives of Orange County, is it?

Seriously, i would open up a business account and deposit the checks. And naturally you have already learned the lesson of getting payment ahead of time.